07/22/2025
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I’ve been trying to think of what to write.
“We’re desperate for money” sounds a little too on the nose, don’t you think?
But it’s the truth. And we are. Instead of telling you all the ways we try to raise funds and reduce costs and still fall short this summer, let me tell you about Shadow.
We transferred him in from a California shelter when he was about 8 weeks old. This was back in 2016. His name was Explorer then, and he had been found as a stray near the Antioch shelter. We were doing lots of transfers out of that facility at the time.
He got adopted quickly, as puppies do. And we moved on to other dogs.
Until his adopters contacted us last year. They wanted to return him because he didn’t do well with the grandchild in the home. We offered help and support — for free — to try to make things easier for the family. Shadow hadn’t been around kids much and was scared of having his personal space invaded. We thought we could help everyone.
But his adopters felt differently, and we took him back. We recruited a new foster, an amazing woman who opened her home to him and slowly earned Shadow’s trust. We posted him for adoption. We waited.
After a few months, Shadow’s foster needed to move. We had no other openings and scrambled to make space for him at our main location. We got to work more seriously on his behaviors.
Shadow was/is overweight, he has had ear infections, some skin problems, and he needed major dental surgery. He was scared of new people. Had no experience around other animals. Couldn’t stand to be touched by a leash. Couldn’t stand to be touched, period, at first.
Now Shadow’s mouth feels great. He’s losing weight. He happily meets new friends. He’s getting used to the presence of other animals. We can leash him. He plays. He’s starting to learn how to learn. Training sessions are slow going because there’s so much early learning he missed.
He’s still available for adoption. We work with him every day and continue to see progress and growth. He’s safe with us until a home is found. We’re committed to him.
In this photo, Shadow is playing with his new best friend, Kelly. She helps care for him and brings his dinner to him first because he takes mealtime punctuality very seriously. This is what your donation makes possible. So when we say we’re desperate for money it’s because we’re desperate for a roof over Shadow’s head and food in his belly and trained skills to give him a fresh start.
We have fallen short of our fundraising goals this summer, and we need to come up with at least $10,000 this month. We know it’s a lot, but every single dollar adds up and makes a difference.
Here’s a link where you can read more about the work we’re doing right now. Thanks to a generous donor, the first $2000 in donations will be matched. Please donate if you can. We desperately need your help.
https://givebutter.com/summerbills
